The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-07-16
TEMPERANCE READING.
THE NERVES.
Telegraph Wires AL Through the Body
How Alcohol Affects Them,

now alcohol AHecCS Ihem.
Telegraph wires all over metz ex-
claimed John, in response to some
thing l had said 'I'll never believe
it."
"Indeed! But hadn't you better
wait awhile before you say that. Shut
your eyes.
"Now, how did you shut them? You
don't know, do youP Let me tell you.
When l spoke, the air was set in mo-
ton, and began to make waves, one
striking against another, as the waves
of the sea do. These waves entered
your ear, where little tiny drum is
| stretched to receive them, and this was
made to vibrate. The waves from the
drum are in turn taken up through a
perfect maze of telegraph wires into
the brain, and the brain, which is the
head telegraph Office, at once knows
my wish, which is: Shut Johns eyesr
The chief clerk in the office then sends
a message to both of your eyelids, say
ing: Go DOWN. and in an instant
they obey.
But let me see if there are any 9th
er telegraph wires in your body besides
these"
John shuts his eyes, and / touch first
his nose, then his little finger, then his
leg, and finally his hair; and each time
he says he can feel my touches.
"Of course you can feel them, for all
over your body these little telegraph
wires are to be found, and they send
up in a flash the message to the head
Office, the brain, saying: Something
has touched me on the nose, finger,
leg and hair. "
These simple experiments fully con-
vince John that he is filled with tele-
graph wires. Edith and William are
also deeply interested, and watch the
proceedings as closely as John.
Now, Edith, l wish to ask you a
question. Suppose were to go out and
cut telegraph wire in two, could a
message be sent over it?''
"Of course not" is her immediate
reply.
Suppose it were covered up with
show, or twisted around a tree, could a
message then go through it?'
She hesitates moment before she
replies; perhaps it would and perhaps
it wouldn't"
well, it might go through, but most
probably it wouldn't. Now, did you
ever see a man who couldn't use his
arm or leg, and yet to look at it there
would be nothing at all to be seen that
would indicate disease?"
Eyes. l know a man Mr.. c.,
whose left arm is paralyzed so that he
can scarcely use it at all"
"Paralyzed!' l exclaim. "What does
that mean?"
"Why," replies thoughtful William,
paralysis is simply the stoppage of
those telegraph wires you've been
speaking about!'
You're right, Will. But what is the
name we give to these wires?"
Nerves. he quietly explains, while
John and Edith look in wonderment at
my allowing him to suggest such a
thing.
But so it is.
Now, when man suffers from pa
ra ysis, we say that he is aft cted with
most painful disease; and yet there
are men who willfully paralyze them
selves men who do it purposely.
Dear men' cried Edith. GLOW fool
ish they must be.
Il think so, too. But let me hasten
and explain how they do it. You re-
member me telling you about that pc
culiar watery-looking liquid called
alcohol
"Weli, that alcohol is mixed with
water, sugar and few other things in
drinks that are called beer, wine or
spirits.
| Nov, when men take these drinks
into the stomach, the alcohol that is
in them paralyzes the nerves some
what in the same manner as that man
was paralyzed to whom Edith just now
referred. You have only to see man
who has taken a quantity of such
liquor to be convinced of what [ have
said. Go to him and ask him if he can
walk straight, and then to test him, draw
q straight chalk-mark twenty yards
long, and ask him to walk upon it.
He may try, but he will assuredly
fail. Now, place silver dollars at every
ten PAGES, and tell him he may have
them if he will walk upon the mark,
and even then, although he is anxious
to walk straight, he will stagger and
leave the line.
''Now, what is the reason of thisP
There is but one answer, and that is
given by the leading scientists of the
world: Alcohol has paralyzed his
nerves.
"Try again and see if any other
nerves are attacked besides those of the
legs. Ask him to write his name, and
even then, though he can ordinarily
write like Scribner or a Gaskell, his
writing will now look as if you had
dipped a fly in the ink and sent il
walking across the paper His nerves
in the fingers and arm are paralyzed
by the alcohol.
"Try once more. Ask him to say: